Praga Alfa

The Praga Alfa was the name used by Praga in Czechoslovakia for one of its principal car ranges. Production started in 1913 and finished in 1942.

Overview
The Alfa was initially conceived as a cheaper and smaller complement to the Praga Grand and Mignon. The car was first produced in 1913 as a "people's car" for the mass market, combining affordability with reasonable levels of comfort and practicality. The design, developed under the leadership of Frantisek Kec, was traditional, combining a backbone frame with all-independent suspension and a side valve engine. Sales were successful, with all the vehicles produced in the first year sold within the year. Production was halted due to the mobilisation that led up to World War I but resumed in 1923. In September 1927, an Alfa with a larger 6 cylinder engine was introduced, followed by a completely new model in October 1937.

A total of 9257 vehicles were produced.

Alfa 5/15HP
The first Alfa was launched in 1913. The design was traditional with a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels through a four speed manual transmission. The wheelbase was 2650 mm and front and rear track were each 1100 mm. Equipped with a 1130 cc inline-four engine, which weighed 1672 lb and developed 11 kW, the car was capable of a top speed of 35 mph. Fuel consumption was 23.5 mpgus. The engine had a bore of 60 mm and stroke 100 mm. Each cylinder had two side valves. A phaeton body was fitted with three doors and four seats, which was 3545 mm long and 1400 mm wide. The total weight of the vehicle was 750 kg. Production lasted one year before mobilisation for the First World War halted activity on civilian cars.

After the war, Praga found itself in a new country, Czechoslovakia, and a new economic reality, with imports of critical components like tyres proving expensive. Although the company had survived the war, production focused on vehicles like plows and roadrollers rather than cars. Production of the Alfa resumed in 1923, with the design unchanged. The cost of a car at the factory gate was 50,000 CSK. The car was slightly improved in 1925, with the addition of brakes to the front wheels and a statuette of a runner holding a laurel wreath in outstretched arms mounted on a new nickel-plated radiator.

Alfa 8/25HP
1927 saw the first radical redesign of the Alfa. The new car was a "small six", a car for the popular market powered by a 6-cylinder engine. Introduced in September 1927, the Alfa 8/25HP was a more powerful development of the pre-war Alfa. The car introduced a 25 kW water-cooled 6-cylinder engine with a removable head incorporating Ricardo combustion units. It was the smallest 6-cylinder engine produced in Czechoslovakia at the time. It had rigid axles, drum brakes and a front-mounted 40 L fuel tank. Top speed was 80 km/h and fuel consumption was 11 L/100km. The wheelbase was extended to 2900 mm and a new four door phaeton body was introduced which was 4100 mm long and 1530 mm wide, and weighed 1150 kg. A closed sedan was added with six windows which was 1700 mm high and weighed 1250 kg. Cost of the car was 64,000 CSK. 2500 cars were produced between 1927 and 1929.

In 1929, an uprated version was introduced with a 1795 cc engine rated at 27 kW. This was increased further to 28 kW in 1932. Top speed increased to 90 km/h and fuel consumption increased to 14 L/100km